Harraton Colliery fall of stone, 1868

A fall of stone killed a stoneman and a rolleywayman at the Earl of Durham's Harraton Colliery, near Chester-le-Street, on 17 June 1868.

Cause

A fall of stone.

What happened

On 17 June 1868 stone fell at Harraton Colliery, the Earl of Durham's pit on the Wear near Chester-le-Street, killing the stoneman John Bessford, 33, and Robert Ranson, 46, a rolleywayman.

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• On 17 June 1868 a fall of stone at Harraton Colliery killed the stoneman John Bessford, 33, and the rolleywayman Robert Ranson, 46. ^1,2
• The colliery belonged to the Earl of Durham. ²
• The deaths were caused by a fall of stone. ^1,2

Related terminology

Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…a stoneman and a rolleywayman at the Earl of Durham's Harraton Colliery, near Chester-le-Street, on 17 June 1868.”
• Stoneman (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “A fall of stone killed a stoneman and a rolleywayman at the Earl of Durham's Harraton Colliery, near…”

Sources

1. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Harraton Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) Mining deaths 1860-1869, surnames Q and R (Ian Winstanley) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's mining deaths lists)

Record created: 8 October 2026 · Last researched: 8 October 2026